Achieve the supreme consciousness of Bodhisattva
1. Ask the old monk Miaofa for advice
A young lay couple asked the old monk Miaofa for advice. They said that after converting to Buddhism, they gave up chicken, duck, fish, meat and eggs without any trouble. They also gave up alcohol and tobacco one after another, but they only gave up lust. Although they tried several times, they failed. The male layman said that whenever lust arose in his heart, he would recite “Namo Guanyin Bodhisattva” silently in his heart, but it would eventually be replaced by lustful thoughts. Afterwards, he would feel distressed and asked the old monk for advice.
2. Master’s instructions
Master’s instructions: Your ability to practice diligently is amazing. The reason why the lotus is holy is that it can emerge from the mud without being stained. When Sakyamuni Buddha left his beloved wife and son to become a monk, he actually showed us the only way to become a Buddha. If a lay person can give up desires, he will be no different from a monk, and he will become a model for practitioners in the world and beyond.
2.1 Recite the holy name of Guanyin Bodhisattva
Reciting the holy name of Guanyin Bodhisattva can help you stop your lustful thoughts. However, it is not necessary to seek help from Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva only when lustful thoughts have arisen in the heart. Instead, one should “constantly recite Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in normal times, and then one will be free from desire.”
2.2 Be clear and sensible
The most important thing is to understand the reason first and understand the reason why we should stop lust. “Understanding the truth is the matter” – once you understand the truth and then put it into practice, you will achieve success naturally. “The truth is clear at the moment”, and then you can understand the truth during practice, so that it will be more reliable. Therefore, it is recommended that you memorize the “Four Pure and Clear Instructions” of the Surangama Sutra, starting from “The Buddha told Ananda, you always hear me, in Vinaya, proclaim the meaning of practicing the three determinations.” Why do you need to memorize it? Once you memorize it, you can recite it silently or quietly at any time during your free time. You can use it when taking a walk in the morning or evening, riding a bicycle, or taking a bus. It takes about ten minutes to recite it once, at least once a day, but more often is better. Especially before going to bed, you must recite it once.
It can also be recited as a daily lesson when you are just starting to learn. The original morning and evening lessons can also be replaced by the “Four Pure Instructions” (referring to lay people). If you can recite it aloud, not only will you benefit, but the invisible sentient beings around you will also benefit. I will also kneel down and listen to your chanting, and everyone will benefit. Then you will naturally have immeasurable merit. After practicing like this for three months, you will definitely “defeat the urge for sexual desire, break off your body and mind, and no longer have sexual desire.” “There will be no more sexual desire”, which means that you will no longer even have the thought that you have given up sexual desire. What is born with the times is a state of relaxation, freedom, and full of Dharma joy, but it cannot be described in words. This is a holy state that can only be experienced by those who have given up sexual desire.
After achieving this kind of “dissolution of mind and body”, you can no longer recite the “Four Pure Teachings” (of course you can also keep them throughout your life), because the Buddha’s teachings have been engraved in your heart.
2.3 The dangers of lust
Only then will I realize that I was wrong in thinking that “the most wonderful thing in the world is lust.” Lust brings people only fleeting pleasure, not happiness, because of the ensuing fatigue and exhaustion, which is not happiness but pain, not to mention the resulting diseases, conflicts between husband and wife, divorce, and even death. , all stem from strong lust.
Lust is for the continuation of mankind, and it is only natural. Apart from this, one should exercise moderation and restraint, and practitioners must get rid of it, because “if the lust of lust is not eliminated, the dust cannot come out.”
2.4 Nocturnal emissions
Some people occasionally experience nocturnal emissions for a considerable period of time after abstaining from sexual desire. This is a normal phenomenon and should be ignored as it will disappear naturally.
2.5 Exhaustion and Recharge
“Exhausted” actually refers to people who have too much lust, which is not only harmful to health, but also shortens their life span.
“Nursing energy and recharging energy” means that people who have given up sexual desire will not only have a strong body, but also the essence in their body will be accumulated into extremely hard relics. The longer the period of abstinence, the more relics will be left after death and cremation. Relics are regarded as sacred objects by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and those who sincerely worship them will benefit a lot.
3. Conclusion
Therefore, if a practitioner can abstain from sexual intercourse, killing, and stealing, he will surely be able to “achieve the supreme consciousness of a Bodhisattva.”
